Martinsen’s signed a 1-year, 1-way contract with a $675,000 cap hit. The Norweigan forward was set to become an Unrestricted Free Agent on July 1st this year.

Martinsen played 9 regular season games, plus 2 more playoff games with the Habs after being acquired from the Colorado Avalanche at the trade deadline for Sven Andrighetto. In his 11 games played with the Canadiens, Martinsen failed to record a single point. He also struggled significantly in his 2 playoff games. Including his time with the Avalanche, Martinsen finished the year with 3 goals, 4 assists, and 7 points in 64 games played.

While Martinsen may not be an ideal signing, it comes as no surprise to Habs fans considering GM Marc Bergevin‘s preferred style of play. Bergevin loves to stock up on gritty 4th liners, especially come playoff time. With Steve Ott leaving to coach with the Blues, and Brian Flynn and Dwight King presumably hitting the free agency market, the Habs would only be left with one “4th line player” in Torrey Mitchell.

The big problem with this is that Martinsen is going to take away a spot that could be held by a younger, more skillful player. There are several forwards with good potential within the Habs system that have a chance at becoming full-time NHLers next season. This list includes Mike McCarron, Charles Hudon, Nikita Scherbak, Jacob De La Rose, Daniel Carr, and maybe even Martin Reway if his recovery is successful. If any of these players are ready, but cannot make the jump due to Martinsen being in the way, their development may be stunted.

Never the less, Martinsen will still provide some important depth for the Habs this season, especially if Montreal id hit hard with injuries like they were at times last year. There is also room for Martinsen to grow and become a decent 4th liner, as he is still fairly young at only 26 years old.

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Thomas D'Onofrio

Thomas D'Onofrio is the 16-year-old writer for the website Puck Planet. Anything Thomas usually does revolves around the sport of hockey. He has been a huge Montreal Canadiens fan since the young age of 4, as well a big hockey fan in general. He has also been playing hockey for over 10 years. It has always been a dream of his to make a living our of the sport he loves, whether it is in media, management, or actually playing hockey at a high level. By being able to write for Puck Planet, he has taken the first big step towards reaching his dreams. He hopes for a long, successful tenure with Puck Planet, with many great things to come in the future!
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